Lang
2/6/24
A man convicted in a violent Ottumwa home invasion case has died in custody at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
According to a news release from the Iowa Department of Corrections, 44-year-old Joseph Bloom was pronounced dead due to natural causes at 6:58 last Friday morning in a UIHC hospice room.
Bloom had been serving a 110-year maximum term for multiple crimes including Habitual Offender and 1st Degree Robbery from Union and Wapello Counties. His sentence began on April 15, 2004.
The Wapello County case involved Bloom and others forcing their way into an Ottumwa residence and assaulting someone inside while they stole multiple items. The victim was struck multiple times with a wooden chair, shattering his skull in two different places.